The Buddha was born Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of the Sakya
tribe
of Nepal, in approximately 566 BC. When he was twentynine years old, he
left the comforts of his home to seek the meaning of the suffering he
saw
around him. After six years of arduous yogic training, he abandoned the
way of self-mortification and instead sat in mindful meditation beneath
a bodhi tree.

On the full moon of May, with the rising of the morning star,
Siddhartha
Gautama became the Buddha, the enlightened one.

The Buddha wandered the plains of northeastern India for 45
years
more,
teaching the path or Dharma he had realized in that moment. Around him
developed a community or Sangha of monks and, later, nuns, drawn from
every
tribe and caste, devoted to practicing this path. In approximately 486
BC, at the age of 80, the Buddha died. His last words are said to be...

*The pages of this web site were written for the students of my
class
on Buddhist Psychology. Although the religious aspects of
Buddhism
are discussed, I am far more interested in presenting Buddhism's
philosophical
and psychological side. It is not necessary to believe in heavens
or hells, in gods, demons, or ghosts, or even in rebirth or
reincarnation
in order to benefit from the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. I
myself
believe in none of these things, and yet have learned a great deal from
the sutras -- far more than from any other source. I encourage
all
of you to become familiar with Buddhism, and I humbly suggest that
these
pages are a good place to begin!